Violet

Four

We were fifteen minutes into our run when we came across the smell. The scent smelled of honey and spices, possibly cinnamon or something else. It made the hair on our body stand up and a warm shiver run down our spine. Rune whined in my head. 

“Mate. It’s mate.” I could hear him chanting the word over and over again and I felt a surge of happiness rush through me. 

Without thinking I took off, following the scent. I ended up in a clearing, one I had been to many times before. The clearing was located just down the road from Regina’s diner. Often times, at least once Regina left the pack grounds and moved elsewhere, I would come to this clearing and watch the diner from an opening in the tree line. I would watch Regina most afternoon and nights just to make sure she was safe. 

I padded to the spot I used to lay down in and, as soon as my paws landed there, the smell of honey and spices enveloped my senses. For a moment I just stood there, bathing in the scent of my mate, before I slowly dragged my eyes across the clearing in a search for any sign of a person. When I found none, Rune whined sadly in my head again. I huffed silently in frustration. Most pack members find their mates at a young age due to their mates being within either their own pack or a very close neighboring pack. However, it isn’t uncommon for pack members, including Alphas, to not have found their mate for years into their adult life. 

Being only twenty-two years of age I have never given up hope at finding my mate. I did search neighboring packs for a while but pulled back on that three years ago when my father began training me on taking over the Alpha role. I was dumbfounded at thought that it took me so long to find them when they had lived in this town, assumably, all their life. I felt embarrassed by that thought and I knew I needed to seek out Regina. 

With one final inhale of my mates beautiful scent I padded back towards the trees I had originally emerged from and began searching for the spot in which I had hidden an extra set of clothes months earlier. It didn’t take long to find the two trees that had warped trunks. Further up the trees, the branches intertwined with each other, creating an arch at the top. Standing directly under the arch I began sniffing the ground until I could make out the faint scent of myself. I pawed at the hole relentlessly until I managed to get part of the clothes to stick out. With a careful bite I bit onto the tail end of them and effortlessly pulled them from their hole. Looking around one final time and noticing no one, I shifted and pulled the clothes over my body. 

I made sure to brush all of the dirt off of the clothes before I made my way across the clearing and passed the tree line. I checked to see if anyone was looking before I stepped out of the trees and onto the sidewalk. When I located the diner I noticed my mates scent faded slightly but as I continued walking the scent lead me straight to the diner front doors. I paused in my step as a nervous feeling washed over me. Excitement built in my chest at the thought of my mate being inside the diner this very moment and, with a newly found surge of confidence, I opened the door and stepped inside. 

I was met with warm air and a stretching silence. The diner was empty at this time of night but the scent of my mate was even more prominent here than it was outside. I followed the scent to a table in the back. 

“I will be with you shortly!” Regina’s call was heard from somewhere in the back but I didn’t bother to respond, too wrapped up in the lovely smell of spices from my mates scent. 

Given how strong the smell was, I could only assume that I had missed seeing my mate by a mere ten minutes. My shoulders dropped forwards as I rested my head on my hand and closed my eyes. I could feel a headache coming on from the frustration I had felt for the past hour. 

“Oh, Alpha, is there something I can get for you today?” Regina spoke after a small bow of her head. 

I opened my eyes and lifted my head to meet her standing frame just beside the table. 

“Sit down.” I spoke up, allowing my Alpha command to seep out of my voice. 

“Of course Alpha.” Regina responded and when she sat down I could feel her tension rising through the pack link. 

“You spoke of a girl earlier, the one you almost called Luna, was she sat in this seat?” I asked firmly. My want to know more about this mate of mine heightened at Regina’s knowing look. 

“Yes, she was sat right there. Is it true Aiden, is she your mate?” Regina asked, dropping all pack formalities. 

I didn’t mind her tone all too much being as Regina and I had known each other longer than I had known anyone else. 

“She is my mate but I have yet to see her.” I spoke up and didn’t miss the happy glint in Regina’s eyes. 

“Oh! That is just wonderful Aiden. I couldn’t be more happy for you. I did get her name. But she only gave me the first name and I have no idea if I will even see her again.” She responded and I felt my disappointment spiral further. 

“Her name is Violet.” 

I nodded my head once. 

“Violet.” 

I tested her name on my tongue. Loving the sound and feel of it. Rune whimpered in happiness in my head at the sound of it. He loved her name as much as I did. 

“It does seem to me that she is human. I did not get the feeling that she is part wolf. But she looked to be around seventeen or eighteen.” Regina spoke and I sensed a touch of sadness in her words. 

“It doesn’t matter to me that she is human. We have enough members in the pack to not have to be concerned about reproducing right now, and as far as her having weakened strength, she will never need to fight anyone.” I acknowledged the two major concerns most pack members have when it comes to having a human female mate with an authoritative edge to my voice. 

“In that case, how do we get you two to meet?” 

“I am not sure. Do you have any other information about my mate?” I asked as politely as I could. 

“No, Alpha, the information I gave you is the only thing I found out about her.” Regina’s response came quickly, dragging disappointment along with it. I gave a short nod of my head then lifted myself my from the table. 

“Thank you for the help. If you see my mate again please give me a call. I would like to formally meet her as soon as possible.” My words left Regina with a small smile and after a brief hug to an old family friend I made my way outside of the diner and towards the clearing once more. 

As I went through the motions of changing into my wolf, burying the clothes again, and slowly jogging back to the pack house my thoughts were consumed with my mate, and how to meet her. She’s probably enrolled in the local high school but me attending school isn’t an option. 

“If you were a girl, you’d know what to do.” Rune spoke up in my head and I snorted at his thoughts. 

“Well, I am not a girl, so we need to figure out how to meet her.” I replied back but received no response from him. For now, it looked like I was on my own with this.

I had just breached the pack lands when an idea came to me. If I spoke about this with Mason and Colin then maybe they could help me devise a plan to not only meet my wonderful mate, but to also break it to her slowly that fairytales exists. 

I rolled my eyes at my own childish thoughts as I changed back to my human form and put the clothes back on that I had changed out of this morning. The pack seemed to be bustling with people as everyone was sort of gathered about here and there. Once changed I continued walking until I breached the tree line then headed straight for my office. As I walked, I mind linked Mason, Colin and my father to meet me in the study and when all three confirmed they’d be there I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. I was unsure if they’d even be willing to help but maybe if I could have their help then meeting my mate wouldn’t seem like such an impossible task.